: : : : : : :
: : : : : : : I would agree, but there does seem to
be a collective form where a singular noun takes a plural verb, as in "a lot of
people are present". I don't believe it is right to say "... is present" in this
case, but I am clear on what the difference is.

: : : : : :
: : : : : :
----- er... not clear, I meant! psi

: : : : : :
: : : : : : : Does anyone
have any ideas?

: : : : : : : psi

: : : : : Hmmm. I am not sure if this is
a hard and fast grammatical rule, but it does seem to be true that when a singular
but non-specific collective noun is the subject of the sentence, then a plural
verb form simply sounds better. Examples...

: : : : : A lot of people have arrived...
:
: : : : A number of sources have stated...
: : : : : A couple of people have
stayed...
: : : : : A half of those surveyed have said...
: : : : : None
of the children have left... (I am uneasy with this one, and feel it *must* strictly
speaking be "has", though colloquially, it's a different gether altomatter)

:
: : : This is a reliable guideline, at least for U.S. usage: "'A' plus 'number'"
takes a plural verb; "the' plus 'number'" takes a singular verb. So "A number
of sources have stated . . . ," and "The number of sources the reporter quoted
was four."

: : : : Sometimes the number of the verb depends on whether the
subject-noun means something unitary or something multiple. "The couple is buying
a house." "The couple are not getting along."

: : : : American Heritage Dict.:
"'None' (pronoun) may take a singular verb or a plural one, according to 68 per
cent of the Usage Panel. They specify a singular verb when 'none' can logically
be construed as singular (when 'not one' or 'no one' can be substituted for 'none'):
'None of us is wholly blameless.' . . . A plural verb should be used when 'none'
applies to more than one (when 'no persons, not any of a group of persons or things'
can be substituted for 'none'): 'None are more wretched than victims of natural
disasters.' When 'none' can be logically construed as either singular or plural,
either a singular or plural verb is possible: 'None of these books is' (or 'are')
'really helpful.' In every case the verb and related personal pronouns and pronominal
adjectives must agree in number: 'none has his' (or 'none have theirs'). According
to 28 per cent of the Panel, 'none' must always take a singular verb."

: : Out
of interest, the term 'bloopers' is not often used in Britain. If someone makes
this sort of mistake it's called a 'bloomer'.

: It is? Now there's me thinking
that a bloomer was a soft white loaf of bread. I'd have gone with either a "clanger"
or a "boob"... and no, ESC, I am not trying to turn this thread back into the
gutter with that last suggestion...

: (much)

Wow. I've never heard "bloomer"
for a mistake OR for a loaf of bread. For "bloomer," Amer. Heritage Dict. includes
"a blunder" (slang) among the definitions. For "blooper," it says:
"1. Baseball.
A short, weakly hit fly ball that carries just beyond the infield. 2. Informal.
A faux pas. [From 'bloop,' sound of such a hit (imitative).]"
So that's where
"blooper" came from.